Chances Are
by I'm a Nerd and Proud
Summary: Mark Sloan meets the love of his life at a bar while waiting for Addison Montgomery-Shepherd to come. He didn't think he could ever love after Addison, but then again, fate has other plans. Mark/OC, AU
1. Keep Breathing

**Chances Are**

 **Summary: Mark Sloan meets the love of his life at a bar while waiting for Addison Montgomery-Shepherd to come. He didn't think he could ever love after Addison, but then again, fate has other plans. Mark/OC, AU**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's. No, this is not a Mina (Nina Knight/Mark Sloan) story! This is a different OC. This takes place in late season 2-ish. Also, I will be using songs for the chapter names. Listen to them to understand what I was thinking when I was writing! Enjoy!**

 **~x~**

Chapter One: Keep Breathing

~x~

The clock read just after 10:40pm and Mark had been sure that she would show up before now. Instead, he was alone, sitting at the bar on a stool, and drinking his usual single scotch. As he let his eyes drift across the room, looking for a woman to drown his sorrows in, he spotted _her_.

She didn't look like she belonged in the bar, sitting on a stool near the end, staring down at her whiskey. Her face was mostly blank, her pink tongue coming out to lick her lips as her red nail tapped against the glass of her cup.

Mark knew she would be easy enough to get into his bed; she would let him forget Addison even if it was just for a moment, and he made his way over to her. "Is this seat taken?" His voice purred. The woman's head lifted; his blue eyes met a stormy gray. He could tell that he had surprised her.

She shook her head. Mark sat beside the woman, taking in her form; she had shiny black hair that reminded Mark of Derek, full red lips, saddened gray eyes, and a figure that made his fingers itch. She was nothing like Addison.

"What is a lady like yourself doing in a place like this?" Mark asked, noting that she didn't seem very interested in talking. He would just need to prey a little extra into her life. She would be a good lay and he would surely forget Addison until the next morning.

She stared at Mark for a long moment. "I'm looking for someone to take home, to forget everything. Can you be that person?" She asked, with a British accent, straight to the point. Mark was surprised by her tone; no woman he usually went for was ever straight to the point. Look at Addie - she went around in circles constantly. "And I don't want to know your name. I just want a mindless one night stand."

Mark grinned at her. "Sounds like my kind of plan, shall we leave?"

The woman nodded and stood up. Mark paid Joe before he led the stranger out of the bar and to a cab, telling the taxi driver to bring them to his hotel. Tonight was going to be fun.

~x~

The first thing she realized was that she had actually done it; she had had her first one-night stand. It wasn't as dirty as she thought it would be, nor was it as passionless as she thought it was going to be. Instead, her gray eyes opened up and she found herself in a stranger's hotel room, clothes scattered everywhere and a sleeping sexy man next to her.

Lucky would surely be jealous.

Slowly, she turned to the man beside her and stared at his face, making sure that he was actually asleep and wouldn't wake up while she tried to make her escape. Surely, that was what she was supposed to do, right? Carefully, she moved to the edge of her side and pulled her sore, aching body out of the soft bed.

Checking to make sure the stranger was still asleep, she moved around the room to find her clothes. She found her black dress, black heels and bra but her panties were nowhere in sight. She sighed, as she quickly dressed, figuring she could go without one less pair of panties; she grabbed her purse and thought about just booking it. Instead, she walked over to the desk and wrote him a note. That was respectful, right? And maybe she'd like to have another bout of sex. Her life was about to just get more depressing; sex with a drop dead sexy man was good, right? It had to be.

 _Thanks for the sex last night,  
D.H. _

She quickly left the hotel room and never looked back.

~x~

"I can't believe you had sex with a stranger! A _complete_ and _utter_ stranger! What is your mother going to think?"

After coming home to her apartment, walking the walk of shame, she had run into her best friend Lucille or Lucky as she liked to call her. Lucky was a short, slender redhead with bright green eyes. At the moment, Lucky was pacing the living room in front of her best friend.

When she received no answer, Lucky knelt before her best friend. "You could have died, Dessa. And what then?"

Dessa shrugged her shoulders, "I needed a bit of fun in my life. It's not like I'm going to ever see him again! He didn't give me his name and I didn't give him mine. We used condoms if that's what you're worried about." Dessa answered. She played with the edge of her black dress. "He was really good looking. He was nice and very gentlemen like. _I_ suggested we go have a shag. What's so wrong with a woman asking for a casual shag?"

"He could have been a murderer!" Lucky complained, causing Dessa to sigh and roll her eyes. "You've never been interested in anything casual before! Is this because of Brian? Because I assure you-"

"It has _nothing_ to do with Brian! Lucky, please! Do you seriously think I want to get back together with him? He's in love you for God's sake!" Dessa stood up from the couch, needing to shower. "I know Brian loves you, Lucky. So I'm not jealous. I just needed some fun in my life and that wanker from last night was it. Okay? Now, I have to have a shower. I have work in two hours and I don't think it's nice to be late for work for your first day."

Lucky watched Dessa disappear into the bathroom to shower. She sighed, ran her hand through her red hair and then went to call her boyfriend Brian to update him on Dessa.

~x~

Mark needed to vent to _someone_ ; all he had left from his one-night stand was a note with the initials 'D.H.' and he wanted to know who the mystery woman was. She had made him feel alive in a way he felt he couldn't anymore. She was a very beautiful woman and as soon as Mark woke up to find her missing, he had picked up his phone, ready to call his best friend, Derek, but then he thought better of it.

Derek would simply not answer or yell at him. Neither of these things did Mark need nor want right now, but he needed someone to talk to about this woman. Maybe it was better that he didn't tell anyone about her - he didn't even know her name. For all he knew, the note could be a lie and her name wasn't 'D.H.'.

So that was how Mark found himself sitting at Joe's again, waiting for any sign of this mystery woman or Addison. He spotted Derek's lusty intern sitting alone drinking tequila; he felt bad for the woman since she too understood his pain. Mark made his way over and sat beside her.

Meredith lifted her head and looked at him. Mark could tell instantly that she was drunk and hurting. He did not make any moves towards her to get her into his bed - even he knew Derek would never forgive him if he slept with Meredith. Everyone, including Addison, could see that Derek loved Meredith. It was only a matter of time before Derek returned to her and left Addison.

And Mark was ready to wait for Addison, but something about that woman left him feeling…confused. He loved Addison - that much he was sure of, but then why was he looking around for that head of black hair and listening for that British accent?

~x~

Inside of the bathroom, Dessa could hear Lucky speaking to Brian; she knew it had to be Brian because Lucky never showed that sort of emotion to anyone except Brian and Dessa herself. Dessa locked the door and moved towards the sink and mirror, looking at herself in the mirror. She moved her shirt to the side to glaze at her pale flesh and staring back at her was a dark hickey.

Her one-night stand had marked her. It brought a small smile to her face - the hickey made it that much more real. Dessa moved over to the shower and turned on the water, before she pulled off her clothes. Looking at her hips, she could see the bruises from his hold and she thought of him thrusting inside of her. Dessa reached up and touched her lips, thinking of his lips on hers. She could remember every part of him and she wondered if he was thinking of her.

For a few short moments, Dessa was back in that moment, with her stranger and she enjoyed it. She was snapped from her thoughts when she heard Lucky crying in the living room, down the hall from the bathroom. Dessa stepped into the tub and sat down, letting the water run down her back and she pulled her knees to her chest.

She thought back to the reason why she was at the bar and she sighed, closing her eyes.

~x~

 _The reason Dessa was sitting in the OB/GYN waiting room was because she was sure she was expecting a baby. The only man she had slept with recently was Brian and that had been at least 16 weeks ago; she had taken a pregnancy test and it had come back positive. Dessa knew that Lucky would be very upset once she found out and both women knew that Brian would return to Dessa because of the baby._

 _Dessa was feeling nauseous, she was constantly tired and she was_ bloating _. So there she was, waiting for the specialist, Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd, to talk about options. Dessa had never thought that she would have any children; she had never wanted any children, especially with Brian._

" _Miss Hart?" Dessa stood up and made her way to the nurse, who was holding her file and smiling at her, "Right this way, dear. The doctor will be right with you." The nurse said after bringing Dessa to a small room. "Change into this." She was handed a hospital gown._

 _Before Dessa could say anything, the nurse was gone. She looked at the gown before changing slowly. Her thoughts were jumbled. What should she do? Brian and Lucky were in love with each other, Dessa couldn't deny that and she couldn't take Brian away from Lucky._

 _A few minutes later, a tall leggy redhead entered the room. "Miss Hart?" She asked, pushing her black glasses up her nose._

 _Dessa nodded, "That's me. You're Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd right?"_

 _The woman nodded. "Yes, that's me. Now, your file says you took a pregnancy test? Is that correct?"_

 _Dessa nodded once more, sitting on the bed in her uncomfortable hospital gown. "Yes, that's right. But I can't be pregnant, right? I was told to come to the hospital to have it confirmed and have an ultrasound."_

 _The young doctor moved around the room with ease; Dessa was jealous. She wished that she could just like her. Within minutes, Dessa was having her first ever ultrasound. The room was silent for the most part; it seemed the doctor had gotten the hint that this wasn't a planned pregnancy. Dessa was so thankful that she didn't have to pretend to be happy or excited._

 _And then there was the news. Dessa wasn't pregnant…the doctor was pretty sure that Dessa had a tumor. Dessa had cancer. There would need to be tests to confirm it, but, there was mass on both her ovaries and the bloating was the tumor growing. After the tests were completed, Dessa ran away from the hospital and went to the closest bar. She needed something to get her mind off the news and the only drink she knew about was whiskey, so that was how she found herself at Joe's, drinking whiskey and then finally meeting_ him _._

 _It was like God had answered her silent prayers._

~x~

Three days later, Dessa was at Seattle Grace, sitting on the bed again and waiting in a hospital gown for Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd. She was silent, feeling already so ill knowing that this was a 50/50 chance. She could be told she had cancer or the machine had been faulty. Dessa was hoping for the latter, obviously.

The same redhead entered the room and greeted Dessa kindly enough before getting straight to the point.

"We have a few options, Miss Hart-"

"Dessa," Dessa said quietly, staring at her lap. "Call me Dessa, please."

"Dessa," the woman replied, knowing how tough it was going to be on Dessa. "The cancer is at Stage ||A, T2a. This means that the cancer that started in the ovaries has spread to the Fallopian tubes and uterus. The best course of action is to remove the ovaries, Fallopian tubes and uterus; after we would fight back further with Chemo."

Dessa looked up at the redhead, tears slowly filling her eyes as she came to terms with that this meant. "I'll never be able to have a baby?" The doctor moved closer to comfort her as Dessa began to cry. "I've never liked children! But…but I always thought I'd have them someday! My kids were supposed to grow up with Lucky's and be best friends…Bollocks!"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she came to terms with this. She had cancer. She could possibly die. She would never have any biological children of her own.

After she had cried herself dry, Dessa stood up. "Can I have a few days to think about this? Please? I…I understand the risks, doc, but I need to think about this. Cancer will make my hair fall out and I'll look like a total git."

The doctor nodded. "Just know that we can get you into surgery as early as tomorrow."

"Thank you," Dessa was left to dress and once she was, she walked out as fast as she could and towards the elevators. She wiped her eyes as she stood alone, in front of the elevator and thought of what this all meant. And then she stepped onto the elevator, acting like she wasn't falling apart and that her life was going to get a whole lot worse.

~x~

 **Up Next:** _ **Take Me the Way I Am**_ : Without telling anyone close to her, Dessa decides to first do Chemo because she needs to shrink the tumors before they can remove them. And then there's Mark, who spots her again at the bar and then begins a short lived romance between two people who have an expiry date.

 **Yes, I know, I should update my other Grey's stories but I had to write this…and I like it. Dessa isn't like anything I've written before so she's really fun. Please, let me know down below if you like it. This story will be three chapters in total. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Nerdy**


	2. Take Me the Way I Am

**Chances Are**

Chapter Two: Take Me the Way I Am

Dessa literally had nothing to lose at this point; she had decided to tell no one about her cancer or the fact that she was dying because of her ovaries. She had decided that she wanted people to remember her as she was - carefree, fun and a bright light in dark places.

She ignored Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd's attempts at getting a hold of her and ignored her calls; Dessa was determined to forget about the whole cancer thing while she could. Yes, the bloating was troubling and the soreness sucked, but she could handle it and played it off as a really bad period.

After some convincing, Lucky moved out of their apartment and to Brian's, the couple ready for the next step but worried about Dessa; she had convinced them that she was fine and with Lucky out of the apartment, Dessa was able to mope around easier. She loved her best friend so dearly, but her friend was catching the small cracks that Dessa was trying to hide.

But, Dessa was having fun. She had nothing to worry about and she enjoyed each day as a gift, which it was. She went to bars each night, partied and sometimes even flirted with other men; Lucky claimed it was reckless behavior because Dessa was jealous of her relationship with Brian. Lucky was so far from the truth, it hurt Dessa to think her friend thought so lowly of her.

Brian and Dessa were over and never happening again.

Besides, the only man Dessa could think about was her stranger. The sexy man had been nowhere to be found and Dessa had tried to find him - she regretted not getting his number, name or giving him her own information. The two knocked it off that night at the bar.

Too bad fate was feeling a little too cruel lately.

~x~

Dessa was growing sicker; she wasn't feeling like her usual self and just wanted to stay home. Instead, she decided to go to Joe's _one last time_ to try and find the stranger from weeks ago before officially giving up. She was finally ready to give in to her doctor and begin chemo.

And as she sat there on the stool from before, whiskey in hand, and her black hair pulled back in a bun, Dessa thought of ways to tell her parents. Her mother would go straight to her church to pray and her father would be right behind her; her two younger sisters would be a little different. Hayden, her youngest sister, would just claim it was Dessa's fault; that she shouldn't have partied so hard as a teenager. Catherine, her middle sister, would go straight to the books; Catherine or Cathy was becoming a surgeon and would have _lots_ to say about Dessa's cancer.

Just thinking about her family made her shudder; Dessa finished off her whiskey and waved down Joe for another. Maybe she should tell Lucky first - but she couldn't tell her best friend about it…it would surely crush Lucky and make her move back into the apartment, claiming it was to help Dessa.

"Fancy meeting you here," _that voice!_ "Wow, something must be really eating you up. Joe, another for the lady, on me!"

Dessa turned and her eyes locked on the man from so long ago. She smiled seeing his smirking face, his eyes drinking her in and she took in a deep breath. "Thank you."

"Are we still doing that no name thing? Because you miss, are really hard to find." The stranger joked.

Dessa thought honestly about it; she had been looking for him for so long, how could a little more fun be bad? She was dying from cancer; she should be able to enjoy this sexy man. "Dessa; my name is Dessa."

"Mark Sloan," Mark offered her his hand. Dessa shook it with a smile. "Your name is a very beautiful name. Too bad I didn't know it earlier; I could have shouted it when I came." He winked.

She blushed, "Oh shh."

Mark laughed and it made her stomach tighten. Joe gave Dessa her whiskey. "I never thought women could like whiskey."

Dessa shrugged, "I don't know any other sort of drink. And whiskey helps me forget really easily."

"What sort of troubles need to be forgotten?" Mark asked, sitting right beside her. She was silent, turning to look at the glass of whiskey in her hand. "You should try tequila. I know a girl who swears by it."

She thought about it before she nodded. Joe got her straight tequila and Dessa wondered what she should do. Here sat the man she was interested in, had been looking for the past little while, and now she didn't know what to say to him. Finally, she looked up at him. "How would you feel if I asked you out on a date?"

Mark looked surprised before he chuckled, "I don't usually do dating…"

"Okay," Dessa felt her heart break a little. She hated to be rejected. "I was just going to suggest dinner and then a movie."

"I'm the guy, shouldn't _I_ be asking _you_?" Mark chuckled. It wasn't an outright _no_!

Dessa laughed as she finished off her whiskey. "It's modern times! It's perfectly fine for a woman to ask a man out on a date."

Mark agreed but he was smiling at her, causing Dessa to blush some. "Let's go see a movie tomorrow," He said with a grin. "I would say also dinner but I usually work late."

"Okay, I look forward to tomorrow." She couldn't stop the way a smile spread across her features.

~x~

They couldn't decide what movie to go see, so they settled on _Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest_ , since they both enjoyed the first movie. She paid for snacks and Mark paid for the tickets. They sat down together near the back, on the right hand side, comfortable beside each other. They each had their own drinks, but were planning on sharing a bag of popcorn.

"Can I put the skittles inside the popcorn bag?" Dessa asked, glancing over at Mark with a warm smile.

He blinked, turning to look at her with a stunned expression before he slowly nodded. "If that is what you want, but can I ask why?"

"I love the flavor of skittles covered in popcorn butter." Dessa shrugged. She had to find the small joys in her life; she wasn't going to live for much longer. And if she did somehow survive the cancer, er life would forever be changed. She dumped the candy into the popcorn and smiled. "Besides, I always enjoy reaching in and getting a surprise skittle."

Mark chuckled. "Whatever makes you happy," he turned his head, looking around the darkened theatre. The commercials were already playing so the room was dark. The movie would be beginning in just a few minutes. He reached into the bag and grabbed some popcorn, plopping it into his mouth. "Who showed you to dump the skittles in?"

"My ex-best friend from high school," Dessa said thoughtfully, setting the popcorn on Mark's lap. "Her name was Jessa; everyone at school mixed us up even though she had blonde hair and blue eyes and I have black hair and gray eyes."

"Dessa and Jessa?" Mark said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Your names are very similar."

"We bonded over a project in Science class, grade 7; we were supposed to make up an animal and give it a home, food and whatever else it needed to survive. We made _the Leer_. It was a mix of a deer and a lynx. I drew it and she wrote up the facts." Dessa still remembered her ex-best friend fondly. She blushed darkly. "And now I'm rambling…"

Mark shook his head. "I like listening to you," he reassured her. "So why aren't you still friends?"

Dessa shrugged her shoulders, "Would you believe me if I said it was boy troubles? She had a boyfriend, real arse he was, and I didn't like him. I knew he wasn't good for her but she didn't listen. I offended him when I called him out on his crap. Jessa picked him and I walked away." Dessa was saddened by the memory of why she and Jessa weren't friends anymore. "She ended replacing me with this girl named Amy who basically backstabbed me anyway."

Mark, even though Dessa was sure that he didn't even really care about any of this teenage girl drama, listened silently and gave her the right responses to show that he was in fact listening. "This Jessa girl made the wrong decision."

"They ended up breaking up a few months later. He claimed he didn't really love her - he just wanted her for sex, which I called." Dessa chuckled darkly at the irony. When the movie began, Dessa and Mark stopped talking. However, near the middle, she decided to push the limits and she snuggled up against him. Mark draped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him. They both enjoyed the movie.

~x~

After the movie, Mark and Dessa both didn't want to depart, so they ended up in a small café ordering coffee together. "I told you about Jessa, now tell me something about you." Dessa smiled at him.

"I had a best friend named Derek," Mark began, "We were basically brothers. We grew up together. Derek took me right under his wing when we were kids. But then I made a stupid decision recently and now he hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn't _hate_ you." Dessa reassured him.

Mark looked up from his coffee. "I slept with his wife."

"Oh…" Dessa blinked in surprise. "Well, to be honest, I'd hate you too. But I'm not married so you don't have to worry about jealous husbands with me!" She laughed awkwardly.

Mark laughed awkwardly with her before he was soon laughing for real. "Good, I don't think I can be two women's dirty mistress."

"Is that what you call yourself? A dirty mistress?" Dessa asked, shaking her head at him. "Why is that?"

"I'm dirty because I slept with my best friend's wife." Mark sighed.

"It isn't just your fault," Dessa reached forward and touched his hand. "Unless you forced yourself onto her, which I highly doubt, she made the decision to sleep with you too. It is a two-way street."

He smiled at her, gripping onto her hand lightly. "Thank you."

~x~

That following Monday, Dessa found herself sitting in a small waiting room, a blue plastic bag like hospital gown on and basically naked underneath with her _Hello Kitty_ panties on, and she was staring ideally at the wall, trying to keep her mind off the fact that she was going to get even worse news. She twirled her thumbs together, chewing her bottom lip and didn't dare look at the door, not ready to see her doctor.

When the door opened, Dessa nearly was ready to bolt out and pretend that she hadn't come at all. "Ah, Dessa! I've been trying to get a hold of you-"

Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd was as beautiful as Dessa remembered; and the pencil skirt on her showed on her legs and the heels went perfectly; Dessa was jealous of the woman. "I needed some space to really think about what I want to do." Dessa answered before the woman could question her further about her whereabouts. "I've met someone…someone I think could be the one…and I know, it's silly because we've only been on _one_ little date and I must sound totally bonkers but we connected. And I don't want him to know about…my cancer. I want him to know _me_ and not stay with me because I'm dying and that's what a nice person would do, right? Stick around with the dying person because they feel pity for them?"

Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd sat down on her stool with wheels and moved it to sit directly in front of Dessa. "Everyone needs one reason to keep going, Dessa. And sure, maybe staying alive for a guy might seem silly to some people but I think it's sweet. You know when you know. But I must ask, are you ready for the risks? Chemo can take a lot out of a person but once the tumors have shrunken, we will remove your-"

"My uterus, ovaries and Fallopian tubes, I know. No more chances of little Dessa's running around," She tried to make light of her illness. "I want to beat it, doc. I want to live to see if this guy is the one."

~x~

After making a schedule with the doctor, Dessa returned to her empty apartment and was ready to sleep. She felt heavy with guilt; Lucky would surely be upset once she learned about Dessa _dying_. But, Dessa couldn't bring herself to tell her best friend but she did need her.

She laid down on her bed, clenching her phone as she decided what to do; to call or not to call. She gave in and dialed Lucky's number. It went straight to voice mail. _"Hello, you've reached Lucille's cell. Leave your message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Bye!"_ Her friend's cheerful voice made her stomach twist in knots.

"Hey Lucky, its Dessa calling. I should have known it was date night with Brain. Anyway…just wanted to know if you'd like to get coffee soon? Wait…never mind, just forget it. I'll be fine! Bye!" Dessa hung up and sighed. She was stupid. Lucky wouldn't understand and she would surely call Dessa an idiot for wanting to fight her cancer because of a _boy_.

After throwing her phone onto her pillow, Dessa rolled onto her back and stared up at her ceiling; her phone rang and she was confused about who would be calling her. Surely not Lucky; Lucky was on her date night. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID: Mark Sloan. Dessa answered with a, "Mark?"

" _Hey sweetheart,"_ Mark chuckled with a playful tone. She smiled, imaging his famous smirk on his face. _"I got off early from work. I was wondering if you wanted to get Thai with me?"_

Dessa couldn't help but smile widely. "Are you, Mark Sloan, asking me out on a date?"

" _So what if I am? Are you going to say yes?"_ Mark teased her right back.

She made a humming noise. "I think I can fit you in. Where should we meet up?"

" _I was thinking we could go to this cute little place I know…_ "

~x~

The place was beautiful; the couple got a table by the window and a fire place, dim red lights and a warm feeling all around. Dessa had ordered some red wine, knowing that she wouldn't be drinking much after the Chemo started. Mark had his usual scotch. "I feel like I barely know you. So I was thinking, why don't we play _20 Questions_?" Mark asked playfully, smiling at her.

Dessa laughed; she was sure that Mark was one of a kind and she couldn't stop smiling. She nodded and gave her okay. "Whatever you like," she agreed. "Let's play."

"Ladies first." Mark said grinning.

"Okay," Dessa thought about her question carefully. "What do you do for work?"

"I'm a Plastic Surgeon." Mark answered with pride. "Same question."

"I'm a Pediatrician. No, I am not a super cool surgeon but I do have an awesome job." Dessa shrugged her shoulders. "Where do you work?"

"Seattle Grace Hospital." Mark grinned. "So why haven't I seen you around the hospital?"

"I work at a private practice." Right then, their food arrived. They thanked the waiter before Dessa got to ask Mark her next question. "When is your birthday?"

"July 10th," Mark hummed back as he picked up his chop sticks while Dessa opted for a fork. "Do you prefer cats or dogs?"

"Dogs all the way," Dessa answered. "What is the last book you read?"

Mark thought about that one as he took a bite of his food. "I think it was a medical journal about skin cells." They laughed together and the evening continued this way as the two fired questions, going past 20 but neither seemed to care.

~x~

Dessa was late to her first Chemo appointment; one of her patients had thought it'd be funny to hide her phone and not give her answers on what was up with them. The parent of said patient hadn't been much help either; the parent had been glued to their phone, arguing with someone from work on the other line or their spouse, Dessa wasn't sure.

So there she was, rushing into the hospital with her favorite black converse, jeans and some random t-shirt; an outfit that she had changed into after finishing her shift. Dessa didn't overly want to be in her usual work attire while getting pumped with poison. When she reached the correct floor (only getting lost twice), Dessa took a seat and puffed out a breath of relief.

A friendly enough nurse offered to help and then Dessa was hooked up to the Chemo. She stilled and let out a breath of air; she was told her doctor would be up soon.

Dessa pulled out her phone, ready to play on some games while waiting. It dinged and she saw a text message from Mark. _"Can't get drinks tonight - had to go into surgery; it's a trauma case. -M."_

Dessa sighed. She wished that she could at least talk to Mark while getting her treatment; she needed something to get her mind off the fact that she was dying. When her phone dinged a second time, she saw a message from Lucky.

 _Is everything okay? Your last phone call worried Brian and me. -L_

 _I'm okay - it's nothing to be worried about. -D_

 _It sure didn't sound like nothing! :( -L_

 _I'm at work -D_

 _No you aren't. I called Irene from your office and she said you had a doctor's appointment so you got off early. What are you hiding from me? -L_

Stupid Irene!

 _I'm not hiding anything! -D_

 _Then why didn't Ben just check you over? I know he has a crush on you and all, but why would you go to some other doctor? -L_

 _Lucky… -D_

 _It's something else…it's about something Ben isn't exactly a doctor about. -D_

 _It's not Ben's specialty -D_

 _Isn't Ben a general doctor or whatever? -L_

 _Wait! DID YOU DITCH WORK TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THAT SECRET BOYFRIEND YOU HAVE?! -L_

 _NO! -D_

 _He isn't my boyfriend, just FYI -D_

 _So there is someone! -L_

 _Really Lucky?! -D_

 _You've made Brain and I worried. Just tell me what's going on and I'll leave you alone -L_

 _And now you're not answering -L_

 _Real mature -L_

Dessa shut down her phone and slumped into her chair, closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. She knew keeping her illness a secret would be a lot of trouble, but she didn't realize it'd be this hard. Lucky was basically the sister Dessa had always wanted. Cathy and Hayden were alright, but there was just something about Lucky.

She closed her eyes and tried to see where her future was headed. She had always saw herself finding that special someone, marrying them and maybe having a kid or two; of course adopting a dog…or five dogs. There was no limit to how many dogs she wanted. But her future was ripped from her dying fingers and now dangling in front of her face; her best friend would be living the dream and Dessa would be dying with no one beside her because she had no one.

 **Up Next:** _ **Chasing Cars**_ : Dessa's world is thrown further into the fire. Mark and a future she has always wanted are within her grasp but fate has other plans.

 **Thank you for reading chapter two and please review! :) I'd love to hear what you're thinking.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Sloansballas** : Hey girl hey! I'm glad you love this story. I wanted to try something different out and thus, Dessa Hart was born. :)

 **Taffyrose** : Dessa's story line is pretty interesting if I say so myself. I'm glad you think so. :) I hope this story lives up to what you hope to see!

 **I love you all so much, please review down below!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Nerdy~**


	3. Chasing Cars

**Chances Are**

Chapter Three: Chasing Cars

It had been two months since Dessa had begun to her treatment; within those two months, Dessa's and Mark's relationship had progressed wonderfully. They went out on dates as much as possible; they told everything about each other and seemed to balance each other perfectly. The only thing that was kept from Mark was Dessa's illness.

She had been able to hide it very well up until the past week. Her hair was beginning to fall out and every morning, she would brush her black hair and clumps would come out. Not only was her hair falling out, but Dessa was always tired and in pain. Her doctor had tried to help her but none of the pain meds were helping. She would only have diarrhea and she was always vomiting; her life was hell.

The only time Dessa seemed to feel any sort of happiness was with Mark. He had no clue about her secret and she planned to keep it that way. Mark only saw her as this ray of sunshine; he saw her as his happiness. Mark was the one good thing in her life.

After Lucky and Brian had announced their engagement, Dessa deemed the Maid of Honor on the spot, Dessa had been hit with a painfully rude awakening: she was not going to live that long. The tumor was still slowly spreading and the only possible way to survive it was for it to stop growing so that Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd could operate. If the cancer didn't kill Dessa, the chemo surely would.

So that was how Dessa found herself in a small room again, Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd sitting across from her and stating her options. Dessa's life was finally falling into place: Lucky was getting married in the spring; Dessa had finally found the one who completed her; and her job couldn't be going any better.

"Can you still operate? I…he's the one, Doc. Bollocks!" Dessa covered her eyes as she realized that she was going to lose everything. If only she had been smarter; if only she had found Mark sooner. If only she had caught the cancer sooner.

Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd sighed with a heavy heart. "I can still operate if that is what you want, Dessa. But…I think the best option here is to enjoy the time you have left."

"Are you saying I should _give up_?" Dessa lifted her head from her hands, tears shining in her eyes and bale rising up her throat. "How long until it kills me? How long if we don't operate?"

"Two months." The answer made her stomach twist.

"How long if we do?" Dessa pressed forward.

Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd removed her glasses from her face and locked eyes with her patient. "The best case is you survive, the cancer doesn't come back and you live a long life. But, from what the tests have proven…the cancer has spread everywhere, Dessa. I don't think I can _do_ anything for you. The chemo has barely slowed it down, much less shrunken it."

"So basically, no matter what, I'm going to die?" Dessa's bottom lip trembled. "We have to do something! I can't die now! Lucky's getting married in the spring - I'm her Maid of Honor! And Mark…I can't leave him behind, Doc. I just _can't_. He needs me!"

The redhead reached forward and touched Dessa's hand gently. "We can operate but I can't promise much. If there is too much damage, I'll have to close you up."

"And send me home to die."

Dessa felt so much in that moment. She had her future within her grasp but fate was a dirty piece of shit that loved to play and took joy in ripping happiness from people. Dessa left the office shortly after that, her mind jumbled with many thoughts.

Her mind was so jumbled that when she reached the elevators, she didn't notice Mark walking towards her. When he reached her, he leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. Dessa jumped in surprise. "Hey babe, what are you doing here?"

She had taken to lying to him, claiming she was there for patients of hers but in truth, she was there for Chemo or visiting Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd. "Just checking up on a patient." She answered weakly.

"Why don't you come over to my place after work? I'll order in and we can watch a movie." Mark offered.

Dessa smiled weakly. "I'd like that."

~x~

It was wrong. She shouldn't have to lie to him. She should be able to tell him the complete and utter truth; she was dying. She was sitting in her office at work, staring blankly at her computer screen; she was on her 30 minute break and her lunch was forgotten. Dessa nearly fell out of her chair when she heard someone cough to get her attention.

"Dessa!" her head snapped up and saw her best friend Lucky standing there.

"Lucky? What are you doing here?" Dessa was very confused about why her friend was here.

Lucky placed her hands on her hips. "I've tried calling you and contacting you, but you keep dodging my attempts!" Lucky sounded like she was scolding Dessa.

"I've sort of been busy," Dessa gestured to her office. "I am a doctor you know."

Her friend shook her head, moving over to the front of her desk. "I was trying to get in touch with you about the fitting appointments! We're supposed to go pick out our dresses for my wedding, remember?"

It hurt knowing that Dessa would never actually be at Lucky's wedding. Even Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd didn't think Dessa would make it to Lucky's wedding. Dessa knew that if she didn't get her surgery and survive it, she would only have at most two months left to live and it was now only late Fall. Lucky's wedding was in the spring.

"I remember," Dessa rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Let me tell Irene to cancel my appointments and to reschedule."

"I already told Irene and she said she already did," Lucky said with excitement. "Come on Dessa! Let's get going!"

Even though it hurt, Dessa got up from her desk and allowed herself to be pulled away by Lucky to the door.

~x~

Somehow, Lucky had gotten Dessa into a rose pink dress, and was staring at her friend with tears in her eyes. "Oh Dessa, you look so beautiful! How do you feel about this dress?" Lucky asked.

The saleswoman looked so hopeful; Dessa was being a little picky but only because this was her best friend's wedding…Dessa would never have a chance to get married or be there. "Lucky, we both know pink's not my color."

The saleswoman groaned loudly. Lucky sighed as she turned to the other woman - _Janice_. "Well, do you have any blue dresses?" Lucky asked.

"What are the color themes for the wedding?" Janice asked, "Because then we can match your bridesmaid dresses."

"Brian and I are thinking silver and blue." Lucky said thoughtfully. "I just wanted to see Dessa in pink for once." Lucky snapped a picture of the pouting maid of honor.

"I think I have just the one." Janice said as she disappeared.

Dessa felt a little dizzy, so she moved over to sit down on a chair and let out a sigh. Lucky was looking through the dresses that Janice had brought up earlier, before she turned to Dessa. "Dessa, are you okay? You look a little pale."

She could only nod; she had to pretend that she was alright for Lucky. "Just a little dizzy - don't think I've drank enough water today."

Lucky handed Dessa a water bottle. "Just be careful, that dress is expensive!" Dessa drank the water slowly, not wanting to cause herself to throw up like she was doing constantly lately. "So when do I get to meet your mystery man?"

She almost chocked. "Y-you want to meet Mark?"

"Well aren't you bringing him to the wedding as your date? Of course I want to meet him! I need to make sure he's good enough for my best friend." Lucky smiled. "And I'm a nosy bitch."

Dessa laughed at her friend's smile and couldn't stop the nod. "Why not this Friday? I'll see if he's interested. We could all go to that Indian place you're so fond of." Dessa offered.

"Awesome! It'll be like a double date!" Lucky whipped out her phone to message Brian. "I'll let Brian know ASAP."

Janice returned carrying a long blue and white dress; once Dessa had it on, it was brought to life. The top of the dress was tight, and a dark blue; going down, it flared out and turned from dark blue to a lighter blue and then when reaching the bottom, it was white. It was beautiful and brought out Dessa's gray eyes.

"This is the one!" Lucky gasped at the sight. "Please tell me you like it!"

Dessa stared at herself in the mirror, and pictured walking down the aisle on Lucky's wedding day. She could see it and she liked what she saw; if only she wasn't dying from cancer.

"This is the one."

~x~

Today was not a good day; Dessa was throwing up everything in her system and hadn't left the bathroom since she arrived to the hospital. Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd was trying to schedule the day for Dessa's surgery and Dessa was scared.

This evening was the big night; Lucky would be meeting Mark. After some bribing, Mark had gotten the night off and Dessa was excited. But now, locked in a hospital bathroom, she felt disgusted. Once her stomach finally calmed, she stood up shakily, she wobbled to the sink to wash out her mouth.

"Dessa?" the doctor's voice was filled with worry. Dessa left the bathroom and glazed at her doctor, her face sunken in some and she was pale. "I've got the date."

~x~

Dessa and Mark were sitting together in the corner of a friendly restaurant, one that Dessa and Lucky had discovered so many years ago, and were waiting for the engaged couple to arrive. Mark was holding Dessa's hand, gently rubbing his thumb across her hand and providing comfort without even knowing it.

Dessa knew that she would need to tell Mark, Lucky and Brian that she was dying; she knew that she would need to step up because otherwise, if she died during her surgery… She didn't want to be alone. She looked at her boyfriend, her eyes watching his face with sadness in her gray orbs. Mark was reading the menu with interest before lifting his eyes; blue met gray and he could tell instantly that she was hurting.

Mark leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm positive that everything is going to work out. Your friends will love me." Mark smiled.

 _He thinks I'm worried about Lucky not liking him…_ Dessa thought with a broken heart. _He's further from the truth than you'd expect_. Dessa knew that Lucky would like Mark. Lucky would only want Dessa to be happy.

She smiled weakly in return. "I think you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Mark laughed gently. "Now, don't worry about paying - it's on me."

"You don't-"

"I _want_ to." Mark reassured her.

Dessa smiled before turning to her own menu. Finally, Lucky and Brain arrived. Brain was a medium height man, with dark brown hair that was fading into grey, and had warm brown eyes; Dessa had fallen in love with his eyes but now she knew that she was not meant to be with him. Brain pulled out Lucky's chair and kissed her cheek.

"Sorry we're late; Brain had to work late tonight. Some issues at work." Lucky explained. "You must be Mark. I'm Lucille."

Dessa rolled her eyes at her friend, while Brain sat down. "Everyone just calls her Lucky though. She's my good luck charm."

Lucky giggled. "Oh stop embarrassing me!"

Brian picked up his own menu. "So what is everyone drinking?" Brain asked.

Dessa knew she would need to tell them tonight.

~x~

Unable to tell her best friends that she was dying, Mark and Dessa walked home to his apartment. Mark was talking about how he adored her friends and that she should meet his next; apparently, he had made some friends at work. A woman named Callie Torres had taken him under her wing.

Once they reached his apartment, Dessa watched him take off his shoes. She was shaking with nerves.

"So you remember my best friend whose wife cheated on him with me?" Mark asked.

Dessa nodded, "How could I forget?" She took off her heels and sat beside him on his couch.

"Well, her name is Addison and she's a doctor at my hospital."

 _Please be a different Addison….not MY doctor Addison…_ Dessa thought with a gulp.

"Anyway, she has this awesome surgery she has tomorrow. She was telling me about the patient, a young woman with ovarian cancer, stage ||A, T2a. I got to see the scans. The cancer is everywhere! Like in the patient's stomach, uterus, intestines, bladder, kidneys! I mean _everywhere_. She's a walking time bomb." Mark said with a chuckle. He assumed Dessa would be interested since she too, was a doctor. "The patient has asked Addison to operate even though Addison thinks it's better to just enjoy the time she has left. I could get you into the OR, to watch the surgery."

Dessa wanted to cry because Mark knew…but he didn't. She stood up and he gave her a confused look. "You don't need to get me into the OR. I'll be there…I'm the patient." And then she walked out of the apartment hurriedly. Mark knew and now he knew she was dying.

~x~

Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd was talking to Dessa about the surgery, making sure that Dessa was 120% sure that this was what she wanted. Dessa was sitting on the edge of her bed, nodding and giving her doctor the information she needed.

"If you're not sure, I could always close up if there's too much damage." The redhead said while reaching over to touch Dessa's clasped hands.

Dessa shook her head. "I want to live and I don't want to live a half-assed life. I told him, Mark, that I'm dying. And if I survive, great! But I don't want to wait around, to see if he'll pity me and stay beside me because I'm dying, doc." Dessa explained as she glazed sadly at their hands. "Let's just do this, yeah?"

At that very moment, Mark was pacing in the Attending's lounge, not sure if he should go to Dessa. The past few weeks with her had been magical; he hadn't felt that happy in a long time. She helped him move on from Addison and somehow made him fall in love with her. Dessa was his ray of light, his saving grace.

After she had left, Mark had sat on the couch in a frozen stance, stunned into silence; he hadn't moved until he got a page that he was needed. With no sleep, Mark had come into the hospital and did his job in a daze, and now he was unsure what he should do.

Callie would tell him to go to Dessa; Dessa would need him by her side. If he knew her as well as he thought he did, he knew Dessa hadn't told Lucky. So Dessa was alone.

It was how he found his way to her room, needing to see her. He found himself running to her room, praying that she wasn't already in the OR, waiting for Addison to cut into her stomach and more than likely kill her.

When he finally reached Dessa's room, he found that it was empty except for one nurse - Tyler. "Where's Dessa?" Mark gasped his voice horse and fear running through his veins.

"She-Shepherd took her up 20 minutes ago. She'll be on the table and knocked out by now." Tyler informed Mark. "Why? She isn't your patient."

His world was falling down around him; Dessa was gone to the OR, gone to her death. "She's the love of my life and I didn't tell her." And then Mark was running to the OR.

It was like time had slowed down; Mark was running like his feet were on fire and he didn't care that almost ran into people; Dessa was alone and scared and had no idea that he loved her.

His lungs gasped for breath as he finally reached the OR, now desperately looking for the right one and when he did, looking into the window, he saw Addison running a scalpel down Dessa's stomach. "NO!" He screamed in agony because now the fate of his future rested in Addison's hands and God.

~x~

 _A few minutes earlier…_

Addison watched from the scrub room as they put Dessa under; she felt compassionate towards the woman; she could never understand what it was like to be Dessa. Addison had aborted her child with Mark, but she would always have another chance for a baby - a baby with Derek hopefully.

Addison finished and walked into her OR, becoming the surgeon that she always was. She looked down at Dessa with a sad expression before silently promising her new found friend to do whatever she could to save her life.

"10' Blade," Addison held out her hand. A scalpel was placed in her hand and Addison then ran it down Dessa's stomach. She opened her patient up and held in her sigh. Dessa's body was a mess.

Her intern, Alex Karev, looked down at the body cavity and frowned under his mask. "So what's the plan?" Alex asked. "Close her back up and send her home?"

Addison shook her head. "The patient wants us to remove what we can and leave it up to her." Addison and Alex got to work on removing the cancer and began to try and save Dessa's life.

Alex helped while thinking about how this was wrong. "I don't understand why she wouldn't want to have the time she has to spend with her family." Alex said.

"She's fallen in love, and doesn't want him to stay with her because she's sick. She's fighting for him." Addison said as she worked.

It was a heartbreaking love story that wasn't written in the stars.

~x~

Mark needed to be there, he needed to be in that OR to ask Addison to stop; he couldn't lose Dessa. How could he be so stupid? How could he have let her leave his apartment? Why didn't he go after her?

And then the beeping started.

~x~

"We're losing her!" Alex called out when the beeping began.

Dessa's heart was stopping. Addison cursed as she tried to find the source; why was her patient bleeding out? Why was she dying?

~x~

Mark stared through the window, his heart racing and then he saw. Dessa was dying.

~x~

"Don't you dare die on me Dessa! You hear me? You have to live so you can grow old with your Mark!" Addison ordered her patient while trying to save her life.

~x~

Mark trashed the hallway as he waited to hear the news, to hear that Dessa was gone.

~x~

"Start compressions!" Addison ordered and Alex moved to start compressions on Dessa. "SOMEONE PAGE CARDIO! I WANT BURKE!"

Alex did compressions, his eyes glued to Dessa's peaceful face. "You can't die, you can't. Somehow Addison is counting on you to make her dreams come true - to prove good things happen to good people." Alex told the sleeping and dying woman.

Addison kept looking for the source, the reason why Dessa was dying.

~x~

Burke arrived and moved to assist. "How long?" He asked.

"20 minutes," Alex answered as he kept doing compressions.

Addison looked up at Burke and swallowed. "We have to save her life. _Please_."

Burke nodded and stepped up. Alex kept doing compressions as the Cardio surgeon opened Dessa's chest.

~x~

Derek found Mark outside of Dessa's OR, head cradled between his bent knees and tears rolling down his cheeks. Mark lifted his head when he heard Derek sit down beside him. Mark wasn't sure what to make of the act of kindness.

"Addison's working on her," Derek said, "She's an amazing surgeon. She'll be fine."

"I didn't tell her that I love her…" Mark sighed. Derek let the man put his head on his shoulder and Derek provided comfort for Mark.

~x~

"Time of death…18:03."

~x~

 **Up Next:** _ **Epilogue: Skyscraper**_ : Unable to function after Dessa's death, Mark must now come to terms with his life now and rise from the ashes to become stronger. He must put Dessa to rest and keep going.

 **REVIEWS**

 _ **TheSilverWolff**_ : HEY! How are you? So glad to hear from you! I'm glad to hear from you, and I'm super glad that you like _Chances Are_. I wrote Lucky the way I did because you're not supposed to like her 100% but you have to understand that Dessa was trying to protect her. As for a ship name, nope, not yet. I'm thinking Dark, maybe? Messa? Marssa? Derk? DesMar? I think I like Dark or Marssa most to be honest. Anyway, enjoy _Hidden Truths_!

 _ **Guest**_ : Glad to hear it! :D

 _ **Sloansballas**_ : I'm glad you loved chapter 2. I hope you like this chapter. And yes, Mark and Dessa _are_ good together….too bad she's now dead. :(

 **~x~**

 **Hey everyone, welcome back! I had a snow day today so I decided to write. Yeah, the ending is depressing as hell, but I like it. Hope to see you all next chapter aka the epilogue! Let me know your thoughts!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Nerdy ~**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Epilogue: Skyscraper

_**LAST TIME ON CHANCES ARE**_

 _Burke arrived and moved to assist. "How long?" He asked._

" _20 minutes," Alex answered as he kept doing compressions._

 _Addison looked up at Burke and swallowed. "We have to save her life. Please."_

 _Burke nodded and stepped up. Alex kept doing compressions as the Cardio surgeon opened Dessa's chest._

 _~x~_

 _Derek found Mark outside of Dessa's OR, head cradled between his bent knees and tears rolling down his cheeks. Mark lifted his head when he heard Derek sit down beside him. Mark wasn't sure what to make of the act of kindness._

" _Addison's working on her," Derek said, "She's an amazing surgeon. She'll be fine."_

" _I didn't tell her that I love her…" Mark sighed. Derek let the man put his head on his shoulder and Derek provided comfort for Mark._

 _~x~_

" _Time of death…18:03."_

 _~x~_

 **Chances Are**

 **Epilogue: Skyscraper**

 **Note: The song is a cover done by** _ **Travis Ratledge.**_ **Enjoy!**

~x~

Mark sat waiting, leaning against a wall near the OR that Dessa's fate was decided in; Derek had not moved since sitting down beside Mark and the two were waiting for any news. Mark was unable to function, unable to think about what this all meant because what if Dessa did die?

When Addison exited the OR, Mark jumped to his feet and Derek slowly stood, his eyes taking in his wife and knew instantly that there was no good news. Mark was still hopeful, needing to believe that Dessa was alive.

Addison swallowed thickly at the sight of Mark, not understanding straight away why he was so upset. "Mark? What's wrong?" Addison asked.

"I'm Dessa's Mark," he uttered. "Is she okay? Is Karev closing and bringing her up to her room?"

"Mark, maybe we should go somewhere else…" Addison said, trying to make the blow easier on him. She knew that if half of what Dessa had said was true, then Mark would be crushed.

Mark was confused by this. "Why? What's wrong?" And then his heart broke when he finally realized why Addison looked so defeated. "No…no! No….! She can't be dead! _I didn't tell her I love her_!"

And then Mark Sloan fell to his knees and began to weep for the woman he had lost.

~x~

It took both Addison and Derek to move Mark from the OR, to let the people from the morgue come to collect Dessa's body, and then it took Callie's help to get him to sit in the cafeteria, coffee sitting in front of him untouched. Callie sighed at the sight of her friend and moved over to Addison and Derek. "What do we do? He's broken up because of Dessa's death." Callie said.

Addison rubbed her forehead, hot chocolate in hand. "I should have been more convincing. I knew this was a possibility…"

"She obviously wanted to keep going, it wasn't your fault." Derek patted Addison's arm, trying to provide some comfort. He glanced over at Mark and sighed at the sight. "Does she have any other family?"

Addison nodded with a sad sigh. "I'll call her family now."

~x~

When Dessa's family arrived, Nurse Tyler paged Addison and she went to greet the soon-to-be grieving family. She found an older couple; the woman had grey hair that was styled in waves and warm brown eyes, her skin pale and wrinkled. The man had grey hair as well, though it was boarding on white with watery blue eyes. Beside the woman was a young woman who was talking into the phone, complaining about being called out to the hospital so late; she had long blonde hair that was down in waves and watery blue eyes. The other woman standing beside the man was tall and ready to take on the world, with dark brown hair and grey eyes.

The old woman approached Addison first. "Do you have any information about my daughter? Her name is Dessa Leanne Hart, she is 34 years old and we were told she'd be here by a woman named Doctor Addison Montgomery-Shepherd. But this doctor is nowhere to be found."

The woman's accent reminded Addison of Dessa. "Hello, I'm Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd. I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

The woman looked relieved to finally find Addison. "I'm her mother, Elizabeth. This is my husband, William, and these are our two other daughters: Hayden and Catherine." Elizabeth introduced her family. William and Catherine made their way over to hear more news about Dessa. Hayden kept talking on the phone, turning her back to the doctor.

"What has happened to my baby girl?" William asked, worry in his voice and his hand gripping onto a rosary.

Addison realized that Dessa really had told no one about her illness and now it was her job to tell her family. "Mrs. Hart, Mr. Hart, Ms. Hart….you may want to sit down." Addison began. The Hart family sat, Elizabeth's eyes widening with worry as she gripped onto her husband's hand that gripped onto the rosary. "I'm sorry to inform you of this but… Dessa had stage four cancer. She came to me hoping to get some answers and help, but her cancer had progressed further than we expected."

"Oh my baby…" Elizabeth began to weep, knowing what these words meant.

Addison continued, "Dessa passed away this afternoon."

William was silent as he held his sobbing wife. Catherine looked stunned by the news, unable to grasp the fact that her older sister was dead. Hayden, having finished her phone call, noticed her mother crying and walked over with confusion. "Mom, what's wrong?"

No one was able to repeat the news.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Addison said gently before she excused herself.

~x~

Even though it was against the rules, Mark was able to see Dessa's body in the morgue. He stood beside her, holding her cold hand and staring at her blank face with tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe that Dessa had left him, that she was forcing him to continue without her.

Mark leaned down and kissed her knuckles with a sigh. "I love you, Dessa. I wish I wasn't such an idiot and didn't notice the signs. I should have told you I loved you sooner."

As Mark grieved his dead girlfriend, William, Elizabeth, Catherine and Hayden arrived to see the body. Hayden, being the fierce woman she is, frowned upon seeing Mark holding her sister's hand.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayden demanded.

Mark lifted his head from Dessa's face. "Mark Sloan….I'm…I _was_ Dessa's boyfriend…."

Elizabeth frowned through her tears as well. "Dessa never told us she had a boyfriend…She didn't even tell us she had broken up with Brian."

William rubbed his wife's back before turning back to Mark. "We would like some time alone with our daughter." He said firmly.

Mark, sensing that he wasn't going to win this battle, nodded and backed off. He walked out of the morgue and held in his tears.

~x~

Three days later, Mark stood beside Callie, gripping onto her hand while waiting for Derek and Addison to appear. They were going to the service, and the others had come to support Mark. Callie hated seeing Mark so upset, especially when she was used to seeing him so filled with life.

"I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to her Callie…" Mark whispered.

Callie squeezed his hand, "I don't think anyone would. But she's in a better place now."

Mark nodded his head, feeling so defeated. "Her parents asked me to say a few words."

"That's nice of them." Callie smiled gently.

"But I don't know what to say. What do I say about the woman who was the love of my life and I only knew her for a few short weeks? What do I say about the woman I saw myself marrying and living the rest of my life out with? What do I say about the woman who didn't tell me she was dying and took on this battle all alone?" Mark asked his voice cracking. He had never shown so much emotion to others like he was now. But Dessa was something else, she was this fire that brought Mark back to life and believed in him.

Callie hugged her friend. "You say what you feel in your heart. This isn't to help anyone else, though it should be a little. This is about you saying goodbye to Dessa."

"I wish she wasn't dead."

Once Derek and Addison found them, they all went inside and took their seats near the front, which had their names on the chairs. Mark was the closest to the casket, where Dessa lay in a black dress and done up so she looked like she was asleep. It was open and Mark knew he should go up there to say something to her.

But, Dessa's sisters Catherine and Hayden were there at the moment, clinching onto each other as they said their goodbyes. Catherine placed a letter inside beside Dessa and Hayden simply kissed her hand and placed her fingers on Dessa's forehead.

"Was I supposed to bring something?" Mark gulped, seeing as others had small gifts to leave in the casket.

"You didn't have to." Callie reassured him, sitting right beside him. Addison was on Callie's other side and Derek at the end. Mark knew exactly what he wanted to leave in Dessa's casket and had been carrying it around since a few days before her death.

Finally, it was Mark's turn. He stood up and walked up to the casket. Callie stood beside him, offering her support the best way she could. Mark walked up to the casket and smiled at the sight of Dessa. She looked asleep, with her eyes closed and her long black hair brushed and in a braid. He nodded to Callie, letting her go sit down.

He was able to do this on his own.

"I can't believe she didn't tell anyone."

Mark turned his head, finding Lucky standing there with a tissue crimpled in her hand. He wanted to ask Lucky to go, to give him his turn alone with his dead girlfriend.

"I hate that I didn't realize the signs. I was so focused on me and Brian that I forgot to make sure she was okay. She dropped small hints, you know. Pushing me to live with Brian? She didn't want me to see her suffering." Lucky said tearfully. She stepped forward and placed a small box filled with small things. "This box is filled with small stuff from our childhood together. Bracelets, pictures, notes about boys…" Lucky sniffled. "I'm going to miss you Dee, please be happy wherever you end up." She kissed her friend's cheek and then went to sit down with her fiancée.

Now somewhat alone, Mark turned to Dessa. He reached into her casket and grabbed her left hand. "I was going to ask you this on our next date…but you went and died." He laughed weakly. "I don't want any other girl to have it, okay?"

He placed the ring on her finger, and then he leaned down to kiss her lips one last time. Once he pulled back, he wiped his eyes awkwardly.

"It was my grandma's so keep it safe. If you see her in heaven, tell her Mark says hi and tell her that you're my everything. She'll take care of you." Mark promised. One last look and then Mark returned to Callie, his chest heavy with emotion.

~x~

"Dessa was more than I could have ever hoped to have in a woman. She was funny, kind, sweet…she worked with kids; she made sure they were always first. Hell, she did that with everyone. She didn't tell anyone about her cancer because she was worried it'd burden them." Mark said, standing at the front of the room, glazing at the casket that had his Dessa inside. "She waltzed into my life like a breath of fresh air. Even in her darkest hour, she still cared about others. I know I'm rambling but it's true. Dessa was my ray of sunshine, the light at the end of the dark hall. I wish I could have had longer with her, like some of you. I want years upon years with her; I want a family with that dog and house. I talked to her about it once, as a funny little joke because why wouldn't we imagine what our lives would be like? She wanted three children, two boys and a girl, with a golden retriever named Buddy from Air Bud, and a one story house with three bedrooms. She said she hated stairs."

People laughed weakly at the joke. It was true, Dessa hated stairs.

Mark wiped his eyes. "I wanted to give her all of this and more. If I could have, I would have taken the sun, moon and stars and given them all to her… Hell, if she asked me to, I would have cut out my own heart for her. And maybe it sounds crazy how fast I fell for her, but our love was written in the stars. The story just ended a little sooner than we would have liked but some people in our lives are meant only to stay for so long. Dessa I love you and I will never forget you." He moved over to the casket, kissed his hand and set it on it. "I'm sorry that I didn't say it sooner or as often as I should have, but I know you knew how I felt. You had to have."

~x~

 _The End_

~x~

 **I hope you enjoyed the journey. *heart***

 **REVIEWS:**

 _ **TheSilverWolff**_ : I'm sorry that I broke your heart, but I've had this scene in my head since the beginning. I did drop some hints that this was going to happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short journey with Dark! *heart*

 **Please review everyone, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Nerdy**


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